generosity. Luke 21:1-4

Before we begin, I wonder if you can think of a time when you experienced generosity? What was it like?

I wrote this sermon in the house of some friends. To say house though, doesn’t do it justice. It’s a beautiful home in a country village, a former priory with its own duck pond and tennis court. The room I wrote in was half family snug, with cosy woodburner, and half library with hundreds of books all round the walls. Clearly they have been hugely blessed, and they share that blessing with others. I went there on retreat, at the same time a member of the local church was staying there while the builders were in their own house. Ministry teams come for away days, Alpha courses meet there – it’s a resource and a gift shared with others.

At the other end of the scale, there’s Lilian. Lilian was pushing 90, couldn’t get around much, so I would bring her communion. Her council bungalow wasn’t much bigger than the room I was describing earlier, but the welcome was warm and the prayer heartfelt. When I got up to go, she would press a note into my hand, for the church collection. Usually a fiver, occasionally ten, it was a big sacrifice. Two Christians, very different circumstances, both being generous with what they have.

The reading we just heard from Luke chapter 21:1-4 helps us in opening up the theme of generosity. The story behind it is quite simple: way back in the Old Testament, King Joash had been wrestling with how to raise money to restore the temple. He came up with a bright idea: a big chest, with hollow metal horns coming out of it, into which visitors could drop their money. And so that church tradition, beloved of many denominations, the collection box was born.

But of course most transactions now are done by card. When I go to a wedding or baptism I don’t have any cash on me – and that’s true even when I’m not dressed up but in the congregation! Fear not. The church is catching up – there are now contactless machines – you just tap with a card like that and £5 comes out of your account…

If you haven’t got one in this lovely church I suggest you do because it will really help the tourists show their appreciation. That’s fine for occasional visitors, but for those of us who want to support God’s work on a regular basis, there are other ways to give. The Parish Giving Scheme, for instance, is replacing standing orders. It’s administered by a charity, who claim the Gift Aid, do all the admin, so it’s a lot easier for your Treasurer. And it can be completely anonymous.

Not like the wealthy people in the gospel story, who were tipping their sacks of cash into the chest for all to see. In Matthew 6:3, Jesus tells us ‘When you give to charity, do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing, so that your giving is in secret and your heavenly father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’

Yet for all their show, the rich did not give as much as this poor widow. ‘I tell you the truth,’ says Jesus, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all of them, for they contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.’ For a multi-millionaire a gift of £10,000 doesn’t make a dent in their assets, but a single pound is a lot for an asylum seeker. Some of the wealthy can be very generous, of others the saying is true: ‘they didn’t get rich by giving it away’ – and yet, in God’s economy, when we are generous, he is generous to us.

Generosity is matter of proportion, and what we have to give. Generosity is measured not by the absolute sum but what it means to us. So do we give out of our surplus, a proportion of what , if anything, is left over at the end of the month? Or do we give according to the Biblical principle of first-fruits, where you set aside part of your income as gift before anything you spend anything else?

Is our giving proportionate to our income? The Old Testament principle is a tithe – a tenth of income going to charity, but it is not a hard and fast rule. Some will be able to afford much more, others rather less. Do we make sacrifices in order of give?

This poor widow gave ‘all she had to live on’ – at the very least that surely meant she missed her next meal. Could our giving impact the number of holidays we can take? The type of car we can afford to buy? In the spiritual classic ‘A Devout and Holy Life’, William Law challenges his readers: drink less alcohol, wear less fancy clothes, so you can give to the poor.

It probably helps to know what your income is. And your total assets. I think of my grandparents who set a wonderful example of generosity on a teacher’s salary. They lived simply, yet gave a lot to missionaries. I’m not sure they ever realised though, that the little house they had scrimped and saved over the years to pay off the mortgage on, was located in prime Surrey commuter belt. If you’re not in a position to give much now, don’t forget the power of a legacy. It can transform a charity.

How much is enough? Or even too much? Was it responsible of this widow to give all that she had? How did she make the decision? St Paul gives some guidance in 2 Corinthians 8: Don’t give randomly, in response to the latest junk mail charity appeal, but plan your giving, pray about it. The widow gave to the temple, to glorify God. God loves a cheerful giver – and whatever we give should be freely chosen. If you value something, it’s a great privilege to be able to see it thrive. If you believe something’s important, what a joy to be able to pass it on to the next generation!

Paul writes about giving regularly, in 1 Corinthians put aside something on the first day of every week. It’s interesting isn’t it. Does £1000 a year feel more generous than £20 a week? Of course, it’s less, but because it’s a big cheque it feels more of a sacrifice. Regular giving is much more manageable and creates good habits.

Look out for your fellow Christians – there are many charities which are good, worthwhile and enjoy wide support. What are the causes which will only get support from the followers of Jesus?

Not many miles away there are churches in the toughest parts of Swindon which are never going to cover their costs. The Parish Share that you give pays for your own ministry and subsidises the mission in areas of great need. So thank you for that, it really makes a difference.

Finally, giving is transformative. It makes a huge difference to those we bless – once when my son was ill in hospital a lovely lady gave me £75 with the command: spend this on a hotel room. Don’t go up and down the motorway every day, stay locally and support your wife. Now I didn’t need the money, but the fact she’d given it made me feel obliged to do what she said. And it was wonderful, I was so much more rested. It helped me to see that I had enough to stay in the hotel – and it was worth doing for the sake of my family. Gifts can transform people.

They can also transform us. Recently I heard of an African township which had been one of the 10 most deprived places on earth. In the local language the name of this place meant Rubbish. Imagine that, living in rubbish! A pastor there decided to gather together other church leaders. When they met they didn’t even have a pen and paper between them. But as they planned and prayed, and encouraged their congregations to share what little they did have, things began to change. Selfishness was replaced by generosity, community living sprang up. Eventually the pastors led the town population to the local politicians who agreed to change the name of the town: from Rubbish to Blessing.

Generosity is a blessing. It brings us closer to the heart of God, who has been so generous to us. God the Creator lavishes good things upon us and commands us to share. When we fell short, Jesus, who was rich beyond all splendour, became poor for our sakes. Now we live the life of the Spirit, filled with his gifts, sent out in mission, that the world may know the love of God. Let us be generous because he is generous. Amen.